Happy Saturday! This is going to be a bit shorter of a post since I have a ton of cooking to do for Easter tomorrow. I am making about 70% of the menu this year, which I am so happy about, since it was a slow process getting my whole family interested in healthier meals/sides.
The past few weeks, I have had a lot of time to reflect on how one-sided my life felt in terms of balance. I felt like I was always working and just squeezed in time for myself or my family. I still wasn't working on the things that I had set goals for (like writing an e-book or creating Podcasts) and I really needed to make that change. I had a few family issues this week (all resolved) that made me appreciate the fact that I have a private practice and do have flexibility. I did realize that my time still needed to be adjusted for a more optimal day-to-day routine. So, with that being said, this post brings to you my top 3 tips/lessons for having a more balanced work and personal life.
1. Set (and Keep) Boundaries for Yourself
I am the worst at keeping my boundaries. I will say to myself that Tuesday I am not booking clients so I can work on x-y-z. Then, a client comes along needing an appointment and I say, "Hey, what's an hour?" The reality is that the 1-hour appointment also includes travel time + prep + post work (billing, report writing, etc) and can really break the concentration I had going for the day. I now schedule in my calendar the days where I don't see clients and I stick to it. Setting boundaries also means not checking emails or your phone constantly. I no longer answer emails after 8pm, unless it has been a late day for me. I always think to myself that, "It can wait, or they would call." If not, I end up checking the email, spending the time to respond or react in some way and ultimately it feels like my work day is just dragging on and well into my personal time.
2. Schedule It
Going along with keeping boundaries, use your calendar to schedule when you are doing personal things. I planned out the days I would go to the gym and when I would be gardening. I also set days for office-work for my business and times when I would work on content creation. This could mean seeing clients on Mondays, Wednesday and Thursdays and also teaching classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. It could mean Tuesdays are when I garden and spend time doing personal things. It could mean Fridays are office-work days where I follow-up on billing issues, work on social media, etc. At first I had the thought that my life was so planned it leaves no wiggle room; however, I discovered that by setting aside the time initially, I had more freedom and flexibility.
3. Don't Overbook Yourself
When I first started my practice full-time, I just wanted to get as many clients scheduled as I possibly could. After realizing that I wasn't spending time on furthering my practice, I began to cut back on my workload and space it out a bit more. If I overbook, I end up stressed out and really just not at my prime. Not overbooking yourself ties right into keeping the boundaries you set. If I lose a client because I can't see them in 2 weeks, then so be it. It rarely has happened that someone doesn't want to wait for an appointment; however, I know for my sanity and stress level that cramming in an appointment isn't good for me. Usually, those cram-in appointments take the place of the time I wanted to go to the gym or time I wanted to create something. In the long-term, it isn't worth it. In my last blog post, you can read all about how I have been striving to reform my practice to allow for more flexibility while maintaining income in the long-term.
In the end, the reason I am so busy is due to my own fault in over scheduling and plain overbooking myself. I no longer want to be so busy that I can't enjoy the things I love like gardening or spending time with my family or cooking. So, my personal commitment is to streamline my business and tasks that go along with it to be able to have the optimal work-life balance for me.
Leave a comment and let me know what your tips/strategies are for keeping your work and personal life in balance.
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label networking. Show all posts
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017
4-Month Practice Recap - Self-Employed Vs. Employee
This blog post was originally going to be all about setting income goals and figuring out billable hours; however, as I approach my 4-month self-employed, private practice milestone, I had something different I wanted to share first. This revolves around mainly how I left a "9-5" employee job for a 9-7 if not 8-7 self-employed private practice. Was it worth it? Of course and I would do it again; however, I did come to realize a few things this past month that are going to redefine how I do business in the future.
When I first thought about private practice, I didn't think it would end up being something full-time. Sure, I would have absolutely loved to just be doing my practice; however, I just didn't see that as being realistic. I was certain I needed the traditional path of jobs to be successful. After a few years, I began to see that full-time private practice was definitely realistic and coming faster than I had imagined. Now, let's flash-forward to when I was deciding to leave my full-time employee job. I debated with myself A LOT in the months leading up to my quitting. Would I make enough money? Would I actually like what I was doing? Would I get overwhelmed? I was someone who was ingrained with the idea of making money and saving for a future. Not that this was at all a bad thing, but I was fearful that I wouldn't be saving and would instead drain the savings I had been building for years.
With those thoughts in the back of my mind, I still quit my job and was quite successful being a private practice business owner. My income surpassed what I was making being an employee, I was flexible enough to be able to spend time with my family whenever needed, and I loved being able to choose what I was doing. So, this doesn't seem so bad at all, right? To be honest, my success was largely due to stretching myself beyond capacity, taking paying gigs whenever possible (even if they were at lower rates than I wanted) and seeing clients even on the days when I wanted to just focus on office work. I wasn't spending time on creating products for my lesson plan store. I wasn't spending time on making YouTube videos. I wasn't spending time on writing a book. I was just working to make money (and of course because I truly like what I do). It was at this point that I realized that I couldn't add more to my schedule because the time just simply wasn't there. I also wasn't adding in the pieces of my business that would be a source of passive income, thus lightening up my day-to-day workload. I was still bound to certain time constraints for classes or counseling for income and low and behold, that cut my flexibility in half.
After a long chat with my beyond supportive boyfriend, I set goals for myself to cut the fat out of my business. My time was more valuable than what I was being paid for some classes and that needed to change. I also needed to actually set and stick to a schedule where I would only see clients and have classes on certain days. I stopped trying to join various committees and groups to network or invest my time in (for free). I stuck with the organizations I was already in and set boundaries for myself as to how involved I would be. I needed to block off time for content/product/program creation. I refused to be a slave to my own business anymore.
So, why I am I sharing all this with you? Well, for me, the easier route in private practice was to just go out and make that quick money. It was the instant gratification and certainly short-term. What was harder was investing (or starting to invest) my time into what would turn into a long-term income source. This long-term income source would free up more of my time so I could actually enjoy being self-employed. I could get back to more of my hobbies without feeling guilty that I wasn't working on the business. I could spend more time with my family without bringing work along. I could invest more time in personal development and enhancing my skills as a Dietitian. The positive side of this was simply endless.
If you ever get to this point in your practice, think to yourself what you truly want in being self-employed. Do you want to work like crazy for the goal of not having a boss or company telling you what to do or do you want to have more flexibility in what you do on the day-to-day, while still making money through passive income sources? Once you think about what your long-term goal is, break it down to determine short-term goals and plan your schedule around that. It is so easy to get sucked into the work and make money thought process; however, this process can be simplified, streamlined, and more so minimized to create more time for yourself. In the end, isn't that what we all want...more time?
To sum up this lengthy blog post, I want to say that when I think about my future, I want that future to include more time for myself, my family, and eventually my kids (I don't have any now). I don't want to be forced into 8 or 10 hour workdays to make enough money, even if it is on my own terms. This post is by no means me saying that if you want the traditional private practice that it is in some way less ideal or wrong for you. The beautiful thing about private practice is that YOU can create the type of business structure that will suite YOUR needs above anybody else.
So, leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this topic. What does your ideal private practice look like? What does your ideal workweek entail?
Stay tuned next week where I will be sharing my thoughts on how to set income goals and defining billable hours!
When I first thought about private practice, I didn't think it would end up being something full-time. Sure, I would have absolutely loved to just be doing my practice; however, I just didn't see that as being realistic. I was certain I needed the traditional path of jobs to be successful. After a few years, I began to see that full-time private practice was definitely realistic and coming faster than I had imagined. Now, let's flash-forward to when I was deciding to leave my full-time employee job. I debated with myself A LOT in the months leading up to my quitting. Would I make enough money? Would I actually like what I was doing? Would I get overwhelmed? I was someone who was ingrained with the idea of making money and saving for a future. Not that this was at all a bad thing, but I was fearful that I wouldn't be saving and would instead drain the savings I had been building for years.
With those thoughts in the back of my mind, I still quit my job and was quite successful being a private practice business owner. My income surpassed what I was making being an employee, I was flexible enough to be able to spend time with my family whenever needed, and I loved being able to choose what I was doing. So, this doesn't seem so bad at all, right? To be honest, my success was largely due to stretching myself beyond capacity, taking paying gigs whenever possible (even if they were at lower rates than I wanted) and seeing clients even on the days when I wanted to just focus on office work. I wasn't spending time on creating products for my lesson plan store. I wasn't spending time on making YouTube videos. I wasn't spending time on writing a book. I was just working to make money (and of course because I truly like what I do). It was at this point that I realized that I couldn't add more to my schedule because the time just simply wasn't there. I also wasn't adding in the pieces of my business that would be a source of passive income, thus lightening up my day-to-day workload. I was still bound to certain time constraints for classes or counseling for income and low and behold, that cut my flexibility in half.
After a long chat with my beyond supportive boyfriend, I set goals for myself to cut the fat out of my business. My time was more valuable than what I was being paid for some classes and that needed to change. I also needed to actually set and stick to a schedule where I would only see clients and have classes on certain days. I stopped trying to join various committees and groups to network or invest my time in (for free). I stuck with the organizations I was already in and set boundaries for myself as to how involved I would be. I needed to block off time for content/product/program creation. I refused to be a slave to my own business anymore.
So, why I am I sharing all this with you? Well, for me, the easier route in private practice was to just go out and make that quick money. It was the instant gratification and certainly short-term. What was harder was investing (or starting to invest) my time into what would turn into a long-term income source. This long-term income source would free up more of my time so I could actually enjoy being self-employed. I could get back to more of my hobbies without feeling guilty that I wasn't working on the business. I could spend more time with my family without bringing work along. I could invest more time in personal development and enhancing my skills as a Dietitian. The positive side of this was simply endless.
If you ever get to this point in your practice, think to yourself what you truly want in being self-employed. Do you want to work like crazy for the goal of not having a boss or company telling you what to do or do you want to have more flexibility in what you do on the day-to-day, while still making money through passive income sources? Once you think about what your long-term goal is, break it down to determine short-term goals and plan your schedule around that. It is so easy to get sucked into the work and make money thought process; however, this process can be simplified, streamlined, and more so minimized to create more time for yourself. In the end, isn't that what we all want...more time?
To sum up this lengthy blog post, I want to say that when I think about my future, I want that future to include more time for myself, my family, and eventually my kids (I don't have any now). I don't want to be forced into 8 or 10 hour workdays to make enough money, even if it is on my own terms. This post is by no means me saying that if you want the traditional private practice that it is in some way less ideal or wrong for you. The beautiful thing about private practice is that YOU can create the type of business structure that will suite YOUR needs above anybody else.
So, leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this topic. What does your ideal private practice look like? What does your ideal workweek entail?
Stay tuned next week where I will be sharing my thoughts on how to set income goals and defining billable hours!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
My Experience and Tips for Your First Networking Event
I just realized it has been a couple of months since my last post. Funny how life gets in the way! Just a quick recap: I started billing insurance companies for the first time with my private practice, finally figured out how to properly bill insurances to actually get paid, am still in grad school, holidays galore, started my garden, and I think that is about it!
Back in January, I joined my local Chamber of Commerce (Greater NE Philadelphia) and I highly recommend any business owner to do the same! One really cool thing about the Chamber is that I can utilize some of their spare rooms to meet with clients, which I don't do too often since I primarily conduct home-visits. I did join a committee with the Chamber, but I couldn't make the first meeting, so I don't feel that involved in it yet. I am planning to get more involved in committees and events in the next couple of months. Recently, the Chamber hosted an open house for their new office location and this my first networking event as a private practice owner. I had no clue what to expect in terms of how many people would come, what I was supposed to do, and how exactly to introduce myself to complete strangers. If you Google networking events, you can probably find a million resources online about preparing for one; however, I really just want to give my firsthand experience in case anyone else is as nervous as I was.
In terms of preparation, don't bring a lot with you besides your business cards and maybe a small notepad and pen. I would say the dress for this event was more business casual. Some people had on suit jackets and others didn't. The event was also 4-7pm, so I think a lot may have just come straight from work. About 90% of the Chamber members and guests who came were middle-aged men. I felt a little intimidated at first with being a young, female professional, as weird as that might sound. I later thought to myself, "Hey, maybe I will be more memorable then!" I feel like with networking events, it is a matter of you just holding your head high, realizing you have something awesome to give, and not being afraid of what other people may or may not think. It is all about the pep talk!
One of the biggest things I realized about being at this kind of event, is to never judge a person by their name badge. When I first came in, I got a badge to write my name and business on it. I would see professionals from banks and think that we wouldn't connect on much in terms of business relationships. WRONG! Networking isn't just limited to who you THINK you should connect with. It is really about connecting with people from all types of business backgrounds because you never know when a partnership may form or if they do anything on the side that relates to what you do. For example, I met a financial advisor who was also a new member and a new personal trainer and also vegan. I mean go figure right?
Definitely bring a stack of business cards to a networking event and don't forget to hand them out! I wasn't sure how to give my card without being too pushy or annoying about it. I found it was best to introduce myself to someone, get to know them and what they did, explain what I did and then give my card and say something like, "Well, if you or your company are interested in any nutrition services, I would be glad to help. Check out my website for nutrition information too." Something simple but to the point and a great lead way into giving your card. Also, be interested in what they do too. You don't want to seem like your just there to sell your business (even though most people are). Remember, this is about building the connection long-term. Plus, you may be seeing these people again and if they think of you as a pushy business owner they may be less likely to come to you for their business later.
I brought along a small notepad to be able to jot down names or information of those I met. I figure you meet so many people that it is hard to remember who does what after the event. If someone gave me a business card, I would also jot down key information on the back to remind me later. You might look back and say to yourself, "Why did I talk to this guy from a phone company?" Maybe, he was interested in your nutrition newsletter or you were interested in phone lines for your practice.
After the event, I gave it a day before sending out an email to those whom I connected with. Just a quick follow-up about our conversation, how it was great meeting them, and a link to my website or more information if they requested it. I felt like I didn't want to again seem too pushy on my practice. I realized being sincere and noting some of the conversation topics was a good way to write the email. You could also use LinkedIn if you don't want to send out emails and just want to build the connection.
So, to sum everything up. Be confident in yourself, dress the part of the professional, don't be afraid to approach people, shake their hand confidently, remember to give out your card, write reminders to connect the card to the face and name, and always be yourself. If they don't like you for who you are, oh well. There are plenty of other professionals to connect with, so if you know you were professional and nice you did the best that you could do!
Back in January, I joined my local Chamber of Commerce (Greater NE Philadelphia) and I highly recommend any business owner to do the same! One really cool thing about the Chamber is that I can utilize some of their spare rooms to meet with clients, which I don't do too often since I primarily conduct home-visits. I did join a committee with the Chamber, but I couldn't make the first meeting, so I don't feel that involved in it yet. I am planning to get more involved in committees and events in the next couple of months. Recently, the Chamber hosted an open house for their new office location and this my first networking event as a private practice owner. I had no clue what to expect in terms of how many people would come, what I was supposed to do, and how exactly to introduce myself to complete strangers. If you Google networking events, you can probably find a million resources online about preparing for one; however, I really just want to give my firsthand experience in case anyone else is as nervous as I was.
In terms of preparation, don't bring a lot with you besides your business cards and maybe a small notepad and pen. I would say the dress for this event was more business casual. Some people had on suit jackets and others didn't. The event was also 4-7pm, so I think a lot may have just come straight from work. About 90% of the Chamber members and guests who came were middle-aged men. I felt a little intimidated at first with being a young, female professional, as weird as that might sound. I later thought to myself, "Hey, maybe I will be more memorable then!" I feel like with networking events, it is a matter of you just holding your head high, realizing you have something awesome to give, and not being afraid of what other people may or may not think. It is all about the pep talk!One of the biggest things I realized about being at this kind of event, is to never judge a person by their name badge. When I first came in, I got a badge to write my name and business on it. I would see professionals from banks and think that we wouldn't connect on much in terms of business relationships. WRONG! Networking isn't just limited to who you THINK you should connect with. It is really about connecting with people from all types of business backgrounds because you never know when a partnership may form or if they do anything on the side that relates to what you do. For example, I met a financial advisor who was also a new member and a new personal trainer and also vegan. I mean go figure right?
Definitely bring a stack of business cards to a networking event and don't forget to hand them out! I wasn't sure how to give my card without being too pushy or annoying about it. I found it was best to introduce myself to someone, get to know them and what they did, explain what I did and then give my card and say something like, "Well, if you or your company are interested in any nutrition services, I would be glad to help. Check out my website for nutrition information too." Something simple but to the point and a great lead way into giving your card. Also, be interested in what they do too. You don't want to seem like your just there to sell your business (even though most people are). Remember, this is about building the connection long-term. Plus, you may be seeing these people again and if they think of you as a pushy business owner they may be less likely to come to you for their business later.I brought along a small notepad to be able to jot down names or information of those I met. I figure you meet so many people that it is hard to remember who does what after the event. If someone gave me a business card, I would also jot down key information on the back to remind me later. You might look back and say to yourself, "Why did I talk to this guy from a phone company?" Maybe, he was interested in your nutrition newsletter or you were interested in phone lines for your practice.
After the event, I gave it a day before sending out an email to those whom I connected with. Just a quick follow-up about our conversation, how it was great meeting them, and a link to my website or more information if they requested it. I felt like I didn't want to again seem too pushy on my practice. I realized being sincere and noting some of the conversation topics was a good way to write the email. You could also use LinkedIn if you don't want to send out emails and just want to build the connection.
So, to sum everything up. Be confident in yourself, dress the part of the professional, don't be afraid to approach people, shake their hand confidently, remember to give out your card, write reminders to connect the card to the face and name, and always be yourself. If they don't like you for who you are, oh well. There are plenty of other professionals to connect with, so if you know you were professional and nice you did the best that you could do!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)